Alcademics.comtag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-16898562015-03-30T08:09:15-07:00Cocktails, spirits, bars, and bartenders: Alcademics is the study of booze with beverage journalist Camper English.TypePadNew Booze: Scotch, Bourbon, Tequila, Amaro, and Cherriestag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553b3da20883401bb081273fc970d2015-03-30T08:09:15-07:002015-03-30T08:09:15-07:00Here are the new bottles of liquor hitting the market announced over the past few weeks.Camper English

Here are the new bottles of liquor hitting the market announced over the past few weeks.

The barrel staves used for this special release were allowed to dry outside in the open air for 13 months, more than twice as long as standard barrel staves. Most white oak barrel staves used for Buffalo Trace’s bourbons are placed outside for 6 months before being fashioned into whiskey barrels. Collaborating with barrel manufacturer Independent Stave Company back in 1998, this extra aging curing process allowed the wood to dry even longer, eventually allowing the whiskey to extract more flavors deep within the oak.

This bottling of Colonel E.H. Taylor, Jr. Cured Oak Bourbon Whiskey will be available late March in limited supply. The suggested retail price is $69.99 per 750ml bottle.

Patrón Extra Añejo 7 Años was created using the same process as the core Patrón line of tequilas. First, Patrón selects 100% Weber Blue Agave, which is then cut and quartered and placed in small capacity brick ovens for slow cooking. The cooked agave is then macerated, fermented, and distilled in copper pot stills using two uniquely separate processes, the centuries-old tahona method and the more modern roller mill process. Both methods produce distinctive tequilas that are then blended together to create core Patrón. The spirit is aged 7 years in French oak barrels.

Highland Park has unveiled the fourth and final expression in the series of whiskies that celebrates its Norse heritage. ODIN, named for the King of Asgard himself, joins Thor, Loki and the beautiful Freya to complete Highland Park’s Valhalla Collection.

Known as ‘’The Furious One’, Odin is the strongest of all the Norse gods and driven by an unquenchable thirst for wisdom. By sacrificing an eye for a drink from the Well of Wisdom, he earned immeasurable knowledge and insight.

With 17,000 bottles released globally – and only 2,400 bottles in the U.S. – this limited edition whisky comes housed in the same distinctive award winning wooden frame of Thor, Loki and Freya, echoing the fearsome contours of a traditional Viking long ship. The bottle itself reflects Odin’s character – dark and imperfect and slightly battle worn.

The collection includes:

THOR – 16 year old single malt, 52.1% ABV, SRP $200

LOKI – 15 year old single malt, 48.7% ABV, SRP $249

FREYA – 15 year old single malt, 51.2% ABV, SRP $275

ODIN – 16 year old single malt, 55.8% ABV, SRP $350

Mess Hall Cocktail Co. Cocktail Cherries, Great Lakes Edition

Mess Hall Cocktail Co. currently sells their small batch Cocktail Cherries to specialty shops including Murray’s Cheese in New York and Provenance Food & Wine in Chicago.​ Bars and restaurants can apply for a wholesale account on their new website. They accept a limited number of new bar programs each month.

Mess Hall Cocktail Cherries--Great Lakes Edition are grown and preserved in the heart of the Great Lakes region​, ​where we think of relaxed summer days on the water, crisp fall hikes and winter weekends at the cabin with friends​. ​There is a warmth that can be felt throughout each season thanks to an abundance of cherry trees and a healthy dose of Midwestern charm. We wanted to capture this warmth with the hints of bourbon, vanilla bean, cinnamon, rose petal and peppercorn.

messhallcocktail.com

BALSAM American Amaro

Bottled at 88 proof in a hand-dipped bottle, BALSAM Amaro has the ability to turn any wine into bespoke vermouth. Made with more than 30 ingredients including herbs, roots, spices, pure cane sugar, rare teas, and spirit, BALSAM Amaro combines the botanical sourcing of Rodrick Markus of Rare Tea Cellar, the formulation and mixology expertise of HUM Spirits creator and founder Adam Seger, and the alchemy of Master Distiller Barry Young of Pennsylvania Pure Distillers, maker of Boyd & Blair vodka.

As for what wine varieties pair best, the team recommends a fruity red, Barbaresco or Riesling, but encourages imbibers to experiment. Beginning today, imbibers can find the spirit available in a 375ml bottle for $31.99.

New Booze: Liqueurs, Mezcal, Spiced Rum, and a New Amarotag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553b3da20883401b8d0e6220f970c2015-03-13T08:14:00-07:002015-03-13T08:14:00-07:00Here are some new spirits and liqueurs launching lately. Camper English

Here are some new spirits and liqueurs launching lately.

VOV Cream Liqueur

Molinari introduces VOV to the United States. This traditional Italian Zabajone Cream Liqueur, akin to American eggnog, is made from egg yolks, sugar, aged Sicilian Marsala Superiore wine, and alcohol.

VOV was created in 1845 by Gian Battista Pezziol, a confectioner and nougat specialist from Padua Italy. Looking for a way to use the leftover egg yolks from his nougat-making process, Pezziol mixed them with Marsala wine, alcohol and sugar to make an energy drink, a popular trend at the time. He named the beverage VOV, short for “vovi,” the Venetian word for eggs.

VOV is a substitute for modern and classic cocktails that call for a fresh egg. SRP: $27.99 / 1 liter. VOV is now available in Chicago, New York and San Francisco.

Bols Maraschino Liqueur

Lucas Bols, one of the world’s leading liqueur and spirit producers and the world’s oldest distilled spirits brand, announced today the launch of Bols Maraschino Liqueur in the United States. With the latest addition to its already extensive range of more than 30 flavors in the Bols Liqueur collection, Lucas Bols strengthens its position in the U.S.’s growing liqueur market.

Bols Maraschino comes in a 750ml bottle and retails for $17.99 with 24% ABV. The product is now available in both on- and off-premise channels across the U.S.

Sold at a suggested retail price of $15.99 for a 750 mL bottle, each variant blends Captain Morgan White Rum with natural flavors.

Southern Comfort Caramel

Southern Comfort introduces a new flavor to the family with the launch of Caramel Comfort to the US market.

Along with the new flavor, Southern Comfort also announces the largest packaging evolution in nearly a decade, contemporizing the brand and reasserting its relevance with today’s consumer.

Caramel Comfort and the new Southern Comfort packaging are hitting shelves in the US beginning in early March. Caramel Comfort has a suggested retail price of $16.99 for a 55 Proof 750ml bottle.

Mezcalero Mezcal, Release No. 11

Caddell & Williams announces the release of Mezcalero no.11 from Alberto Ortiz (known as "Don Beto") in Bramaderos, west of Miahuatlan and about a two hours' drive heading south from Oaxaca.

The batch is distilled from agaves karwinskii, rhodacantha, and espadín; madrecuishe is a variety of karwsinkii that grows wild (on stalks) but is also planted as a hedgerow separating hillside fields. The rhodacantha, usually called mexicano or dobadán, is spicy and floral. There are 1068 bottles at 47.3% ABV for an SRP of $84.

Meletti 1870 Bitter Aperitivo

Inspired by his family’s legacy of producing artisanal Italian cordials, Matteo Meletti has developed a traditional bitter aperitivo called 1870, named after the year in which the distillery was founded in Ascoli Piceno.

Sweet and bitter orange and an infusion of herbs and spices are blended with pure spirits to create a bitter, yet refreshing aperitivo.

Meletti 1870 will be rolled out nationally in 750ml bottles at a national suggested retail price of $25.99 through Market Street Spirits, a division of Opici Wines.

New Booze: Twenty Six New Whiskies Hitting The Markettag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553b3da20883401b8d0e5f994970c2015-03-12T08:46:00-07:002015-03-09T11:13:38-07:00I'm a bit behind in my New Booze posts about new spirits hitting the market, and boy howdy have there been a lot of them. Here are just the new whiskies. Camper English

I'm a bit behind in my New Booze posts about new spirits hitting the market, and boy howdy have there been a lot of them. Here are just the new whiskies.

Woodford Reserve Rye

Woodford Reserve announces the release of its latest permanent product extension, Woodford Reserve Kentucky Straight Rye Whiskey. Woodford Reserve Rye is the third permanent line extension to join the portfolio, which includes the original Woodford Reserve Distiller’s Select and Woodford Reserve Double Oaked.

The Rye uses a base that’s 53 percent rye. Woodford Reserve Rye is available with an MSRP of $37.99 for a 750ml and in select markets, including: California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New York (Metro and Upstate), New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

Orphan Barrel Forged Oak

The fifth limited release from the Orphan Barrel Whiskey Distilling Company is Forged Oak. This Kentucky Straight Bourbon spent 15 years in charred American oak. Forged Oak was produced at the New Bernheim Distillery between 1997-1998 and was found in the Stitzel-Weller warehouses in Louisville, Ky. The whiskey is bottled in Tullahoma, Tenn. The mash bill for Forged Oak Whiskey is 86% corn, 8% barley and 6% rye.

Forged Oak is sold at 45.25% ABV for a suggested retail price of $65.

Jim Beam Bonded Bourbon

Originating with the “Bottled in Bond Act” of 1897, bonded bourbon is produced and bottled in accordance with Federal Law – 100-proof, at least four years old, and produced in a single distillery season at a single distillery.

Jim Beam Bonded is a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, aged four years and bottled at 100-proof. Jim Beam Bonded has a suggested retail price of $22.99 for 750mL, and will be available in select locations nationwide.

Booker’s Bourbon Batch 2015-1

Booker’s Bourbon unveils the inaugural batch of its limited-edition collection celebrating founding distiller Booker Noe’s legacy as the father of small batch bourbon. These commemorative releases will be available in limited quantities throughout the year.

Booker’s Bourbon Batch 2015-1 was culled from seven different rack houses, bottled at 128.7 proof at an aged of 7 years, 2 months and 16 days. SRP $54.99

Glenmorangie Tusail

Glenmorangie Tùsail, the sixth release in the Private Edition collection, draws on the taste of Maris Otter barley. MMaris Otter was originally bred in 1960s England, near Cambridge, at a site on Maris Lane, the street after which the barley was named. The variety's popularity began to wane in the 1970s as tastes changed and farmers switched to barley with higher yields. By the late 1980s, uncertified seed and cross-pollination had put Maris Otter at risk of extinction. This alarmed some who still depended on its unique flavor. Reacting to these concerns, two English seed merchants formed a partnership to rejuvenate the variety, and in 1992, began a program to build the stocks back to an acceptable standard.

Their efforts attracted the attention of Glenmorangie's Director of Distilling and Whisky Creation, Dr. Bill Lumsden, who ordered a batch of the winter barley and arranged for it to be traditionally floor-malted for use in Glenmorangie Tùsail (Scots Gaelic for 'originary'). Glenmorangie Tùsail is non-chill filtered and bottled at 46% ABV for an SRP of $99.

"The Last Great Malts"

John Dewar & Sons Ltd. will release a range of never-before-released single malts: Craigellachie, Aberfeldy, Aultmore, Deveron, and Royal Brackla.

Craigellachie releases a portfolio of single malts for the first time in history. The distillery uses worm tubs – so called for their coiled copper tubing – to cool the spirit. The brand was described as “old-fashioned” even in 1891. There will be a 13-year-old ($55) and a 23-year-old ($300), with future expressions to come over time.

Aberfeldy is repackaged and available globally as a 12-year-old ($50) and a 21-year-old ($180).

Glendalough Double Barrel Single Grain Irish Whiskey

Glendalough Distillery announces the American release of its new Double Barrel Irish Whiskey, available in Boston, DC, and Atlanta from February, and NYC with an SRP of $29.99 - $34.99

Glendalough Double Barrel Irish Whiskey was distilled in a Coffey still from a mash bill of malted barley and corn. The double-aging process combines three years and six months in first-fill American oak bourbon barrels, then graduates to six months in first-fill Spanish Oloroso sherry casks. Before bottling, the cask-strength whiskey is cut with water sourced from the surrounding Wicklow Mountains.

Based in Glendalough, County Wicklow, Glendalough’s first release was a modern poitín, and the distillery has since moved in a natural progression towards whiskey, first with the release of 7- and 13-year single malts and now, the Double Barrel Irish Whiskey.

2014 Diageo Single Malt Special Releases

Each year Diageo, which owns about 50 distilleries in Scotland, puts forth a collection of limited release single-malts. Here's what just came out.

The Singleton of Glendullan 38 Year Old Region: Speyside ABV: 59.8% SRP: $1,250

Strathmill 25 Year Old Region: Speyside ABV: 52.4% SRP: $475

Balblair New Vintages for 2015

Highland Single Malt Scotch Whisky distillery, Balblair, is announcing the release of four new vintage expressions in the U.S. market. The newly released whiskies include the Balblair 2003, 1999, 1990 and 1983 vintages.

Balblair is the only distillery in Scotland to release exclusively vintages. Given this philosophy, bottles of Balblair are not marked with an age statement, but instead with the year that the whisky was laid down.

The 2003 and 1983 vintages were aged in American oak, ex-bourbon barrels. The 1999 and 1990 vintages were aged in American oak, ex-bourbon barrels with the addition of Spanish oak sherry butts.

Each of the four new Balblair vintages were bottled at 46% ABV without chill filtering. Balblair 2003, 1999, 1990 and 1983 vintages will be available in major markets nationally, at a suggested retail price of $70, $90, $140 and $330 respectively. For more information, visit www.balblair.com.

Teeling Single-Grain Irish Whiskey

Teeling Single Grain is one of only a handful of single grain bottlings in the world. The whiskey is aged in Californian Cabernet Sauvignon red wine barrels. The whiskey is made by combining ingredients, with maize/corn dominating and uses column distillation to produce the whiskey.

Like all Teeling whiskeys it is bottled at 46% with no chill filtration. Teeling Single Grain will be available nationally with an SRP of $49.99 for a 750ml.

New Booze: Two Vermouths from Tempus Fugittag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553b3da20883401b7c743da27970b2015-02-02T09:00:25-08:002015-02-02T09:00:25-08:00Tempus Fugit Spirits announces two vintage-style vermouths, imported by the Anchor Distilling Company. Camper English

A 16th century Italian physician, alchemist, humanist, inventor and cartographer, Girolamo Ruscelli authored of The Secrets of Alexis of Piedmont in 1555 under the pseudonym “Alexius Pedemontanus” (Alexis of Piedmonte / Alessio Piemontese). This early manual of ancient curative recipes contained many formulas that were previously banned, hidden or lost by the Church during the Dark Ages, including several elixirs that are distinct ancestors to the herbal wine-tonic that later became known as vermouth. Alessio Vermouths are made in the Piedmont region of Northern Italy, the birthplace of sweet vermouth and the land from which Alessio Piemontese took as his name.

Alessio Vermouth di Torino Rosso

17% ABV, 750ml, $21.99 SRP

Based on a classic di Torino recipe from the late 19th century, Alessio Vermouth di Torino Rosso is designed to be consumed on its own. Created with a Piedmont wine as the base, this Vermouth di Torino contains both Grande and Petite Wormwood, along with over 25 other herbs, roots and spices.

Alessio Vermouth Chinato

16.5% ABV, 750ml, $24.99 SRP

Alessio Vermouth Chinato is also based on a classic di Torino recipe from the late 19th century combined with the additional bittering of Cinchona bark and more than 25 other herbs, including Grande and Petite Wormwood, and reflects an almost-lost style of bitter vermouth. The slightly lower ABV than the Vermouth di Torino Rosso helps highlight this Chinato vermouth’s backbone and aromatics, making it an alternative to sweet vermouth in cocktails as well as on its own.

New Booze: Whiskies from Bunnahabhain, Oban, Crown Royal, and Deanstontag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553b3da20883401b8d0be440c970c2015-01-26T08:38:00-08:002015-01-26T09:04:56-08:00Four new whiskies launch; three of them scotch, and one Canadian whisky sold exclusively in Texas.Camper English

Releasing in time for Burns Night, January 25, are four new whiskies; three of them scotch, and one Canadian whisky sold exclusively in Texas.

Oban Little Bay

Oban Little Bay is made by selecting small batches of single malt whiskies, and marrying the whiskies in the smallest casks to allow more contact with the wood.

Oban Little Bay is rolling out nationwide with a suggested retail price of $75.

Deanston 18 Year Cognac Finish

Deanston 18 Year Cognac Finish is the Deanston Distillery’s first-ever cognac inspired bottling which will be available only in the United States.

More than six years ago, Ian MacMillan, Deanston’s Master Distiller, travelled to the Cognac area in France and selected the Grande Champagne ex-Cognac casks. He then selected some Deanston 12 Year Old whisky and filled the Deanston single malt into the Cognac casks. The casks were left to rest for an additional six years.

Small-batch release of only 2,640 bottles available exclusively in the USA. Bottled at 46.3%. Not chill-filtered, natural colour. Suggested Retail Price: $159 (750ml). Available nationwide beginning in February 2015.

Bunnahabhain Islay Single Malt Scotch Whisky - Ceòbanach

Bunnahabhain Ceòbanach(pronounced ‘kyaw-bin-och’) is a new limited release expression inspired by life on Islay in the 1800s. Matured for over 10 years.

Of the 50 whiskies that comprise Crown Royal's blend, Coffey Rye is the most notable and honors the long-standing tradition of referring to local Canadian whiskies simply as “rye”. The offering’s flavor profile stems from the brand’s Coffey Rye still, the only known still of its kind in North America, named after the man from which it was invented, Aeneas Coffey.

Crown Royal will offer Texans the first opportunity to savor the root of Crown Royal’s signature smoothness, Coffey Rye whisky, bottled straight from the barrel.

This hand-selected, Crown Royal whisky will be available for Texas retailers to purchase an entire barrel.

Crown Royal Single Barrel Whisky is 103 proof and 51.5% Alcohol by volume. Bottles of the single barrel whisky will be sold at a suggested retail price of $55 for a 750 ml bottle.

How DeLeon (and Peligroso) Tequila Is Rolling Out With A New NOMtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553b3da20883401bb07ca5e20970d2015-01-15T08:09:00-08:002015-01-15T15:18:02-08:00After their sale to Diageo, DeLeon and Peligroso tequilas are moving to a new distillery in Mexico. Here is the new DeLeon product line. Camper English

When DeLeon tequila was purchased by global liquor giant Diageo they decided to move production of the tequila to a new distillery. This is usually the case with tequila but not often with other spirits (except sometimes rum).

They also decided to change a few of the DeLeon products. Here's what I've been able to learn.

Moving Distilleries

DeLeon was produced at NOM 1519. It is moving to NOM 1535 (Destileria Morales) and only older products will still carry the 1519 NOM.

For more about the importance of the NOM number which indicates the company/distillery of production, check out this story I wrote for Details.com here.

NOM 1535 Destileria Morales used to produce the brand Tequila 1921, but no longer does. Diageo does not own NOM 1535 Destileria Morales.

Note that the brand Peligroso, which was also purchased by Diageo, is also moving production to NOM 1535.

Two Lines of DeLeon

DeLeon offers a Platinum (blanco), Reposado, and Anejo, plus a luxury line of Diamante, Extra-Anejo, and Leona.

The regular line will change to the new distillery: The new Platinum and Reposado are already on shelves with the new NOM, and the anejo will be released from the new NOM in summer 2015 after aging.

From the previous luxury line up:

Leóna remains the same (though it will be made at the new distillery). According to the website: "Leóna is first aged for 2-4 months in new American oak and then rested for more than a year in fine, French sauternes casks."

Diamante will become a joven, which means that it's an altered blanco (many luxury tequilas are launching as jovens, including Casa Dragones; this often means that older tequilas are added to blancos to soften them). This product used to be a blanco before the change.

Extra Añejo will now be bottled at cask strength – making it the first cask-strength extra anejo tequila.

That took a few emails to sort out so I hope my fellow agave nerds find it useful!

New Booze: Barrel-Aged Sloe Gin, Rum from Grenada, 5-Year-Old Tequila, Rose Liqueurtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553b3da20883401bb07c7acc3970d2014-12-19T09:01:00-08:002014-12-19T09:01:00-08:00A bunch of new spirits hit the market before the end of the year.
Camper English

Spirit Works Reserve Barrel Sloe Gin

Spirit Works has released a limited edition barrel aged sloe gin – the first of its kind in the US.

To produce their Reserve Barrel Sloe Gin, they began with their Spirit Works Sloe Gin, made with real sloe berries, and Spirit Works Gin, then allowing the blend to rest in new American Oak for several months. This barrel-aging process allows the spirit to breathe through the wood, rounding the sweetness and the spices.

Spirit Works Reserve Barrel Sloe Gin is currently available exclusively in Northern California at a suggested retail price of $75.00. It can also be sampled in the Distillery tasting room, along with their full portfolio Thursday – Sunday from 11am – 4pm. Tours of the distillery are also available by appointment, Friday – Sunday at 4pm. To arrange a tour or for more information on the Distillery and where to purchase its products, visit the website.

Dulce Vida Extra Anejo Tequila

Dulce Vida Organic Tequila announces a 5-Year Limited Edition Extra Añejo. Like all Dulce Vida tequilas, the Extra Añejo is made with 100% blue agave sourced from the Los Altos Higlands of Jalisco, and distilled and aged in San Ignacio Cerro Gordo, Mexico. This Limited Edition was rested for five years in barrels of American Oak that previously contained vintages of Merlot and Cabernet wines from a Napa Valley winery.

Dulce Vida’s Extra Anejo will be available in the market in November with an expected retail price of $169 per bottle.

Giffard Speed Rack Black Rose Liqueur

Back Bar Project LLC, exclusive importers of Giffard Liqueurs announces a special edition, all natural, Crème de Rose liqueur. Giffard, the family-owned liqueur maker located in France’s Loire Valley since 1885 worked with the founders of Speed Rack, an all-female speed-bartending competition that raises money for breast cancer research. Speed Rack Black Rose Liqueur will be available starting December 14th in New York. Net proceeds of Speed Rack Black Rose will be donated in support of breast cancer awareness and education.

Petals of Moroccan Rosa Damascena are macerated in neutral beet spirit to extract their delicate aroma and flavor. Sugar and water are then added to the infusion to create this exquisite liqueur. The label features Speed Rack’s notable black and pink logo.

Speed Rack, created by bar industry leaders, Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero, kicked off its fourth season on November 10th, 2014 in Washington DC. Mix and Marrero will be hosting all-women bartender cocktail competitions that raise money for breast cancer research in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Chicago, Dallas and New York City. The Speed Rack National Finals will take place in New York City in June 7, 2015. In 2015, the tour will expand globally to Canada and France and continue efforts in the U.K., making Speed Rack the one and only all-female, international bartending competition. For a list of event dates, please visit www.speed-rack.com.

Speed Rack Black Rose Liqueur (20 percent ABV), will be available for $34.99 MSRP in all Speed Rack competition markets, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, Illinois, Texas, California, Washington and Colorado, among others. For a complete list of availability, please visit www.giffardusa.com.

Six Saints Rum

Crucial Drinks will be launching Six Saints Rum – one of the first actively exported rums produced in Grenada - in the US market. Six Saints Rum is set to be released on January 1st, 2015 in NJ, FL, GA and IL and will hit shelves in the CT, DE, MD, MA, NY, NC, PA, SC, VA, WV and DC markets by early 2015.

Six Saints Rum is exclusively distilled at Grenada Distillers (formerly the Grenada Sugar Factory) – one of just two surviving distilleries on the Island. Though Grenada is known as the “Island of Spice,” Six Saints Rum is un-spiced.

It is distilled from fermented molasses then finished in once used American white oak bourbon barrels until mature.

Six Saints Rum takes its name from Grenada’s six saintly parishes: St. George, St. John, St. Andrew, St. Patrick, St. Mark and St. David. Grenada has been quietly producing rum since 1785 and is the last of the West Indies to actively export their spirits.

New Booze: Barreled and Mezcal-Matching Bitters, Vanilla Bourbon, Coffee Liqueurtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553b3da20883401bb07bdf449970d2014-12-10T07:56:00-08:002014-12-10T07:56:00-08:00This week's New Booze is a random selection of flavored ingredients, from barrel-aged bitters to vanilla-flavored bourbon to coffee flavored sambuca. Camper English

This week's New Booze is a random selection of flavored ingredients, from barrel-aged bitters to vanilla-flavored bourbon to coffee flavored sambuca.

Peychaud’s Whiskey Barrel-Aged Bitters

The Sazerac Company announces Peychaud’s Whiskey Barrel-Aged Cocktail Bitters. Aged in Sazerac Rye Whiskey barrels for 140 days, the bitters are a marriage of the classic Peychaud’s bitters with the spicy undertones of Sazerac Rye Whiskey.

The roots of Peychaud’s Bitters has a long history, starting in the early 1800s, when Antoine Amedie Peychaud, an apothecary, gained fame in New Orleans for the compounding of a liquid tonic called bitters. These bitters gave an added zest to the potions of cognac brandy he served to his friends and acquaintances in his pharmacy. By the 1870s, as American Rye Whiskey became more popular and more readily available in New Orleans, Peychaud added his bitters to Rye cocktails while working at the Sazerac Coffeehouse in the French Quarter.

The Sazerac Company will begin selling limited quantities of these bitters in select markets and via the online gift shop at www.thesazeracgiftshop.com, starting in November. The suggested retail pricing for a five ounce bottle is $16.99.

Molinari Caffè

Molinari, noted for Molinari Sambuca Extra, the number one selling Sambuca in the world, and Van Gogh Imports, one of North America’s premier spirits importers, reintroduce Molinari Caffè to the United States. The coffee liqueur’s new formulation delivers lower alcohol content and a more robust coffee flavor.

Molinari Caffè combines Molinari Sambuca Extra with a blend of coffees and other ingredients. The product gets its dark color from a blend of 100% Italian-roasted Arabica beans from Guatemala and the Dominican Republic, as well as Robusta coffee beans from Java, Togo and Congo. The liqueur is blended with a secret mixture of herbs and spices giving the brand its flavor of anise. Molinari Caffè is produced without any artificial colors or flavors and as with all products in the Molinari portfolio, all ingredients are all-natural and never GMO (Genetically Modified Organism).

Molinari Caffè is now available nationwide at a suggested retail price: $25.99/750ml

For more information, please visit http://www.vangoghimports.com/our-portfolio/brand/molinari-sambuca/.

Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Vanilla Bean Infused Whiskey

A. Smith Bowman Distillery announces the last release in its Abraham Bowman line for 2014, the Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Vanilla Bean Infused Whiskey. This new whiskey was aged a total of seven years and six months in the barrel.

Barrels of A. Smith Bowman bourbon were infused with chopped up Madagascar vanilla beans in October of 2012. After a little over two years, all of the barrels were married together for bottling.

The Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Vanilla Bean Infused Whiskey is part of a series of limited edition whiskies, named after Abraham Bowman, the commander of the 8th Virginia Regiment in the American Revolutionary War. Each edition of the Abraham line is a different expression and a new release is offered a few times a year. The Abraham Bowman Limited Edition Vanilla Bean Infused Whiskey went on sale at the end of November. However, quantity is very limited and it will mostly be available only in Virginia. It is 90 proof. Suggested retail pricing is $69.99.

For more information on A. Smith Bowman, please visit www.asmithbowman.com.

Bittermilk No. 6 Oaxacan Old Fashioned

Charleston, SC based Bittermilk, has unveiled its next product—the No. 6 Oaxacan Old Fashioned. No. 6 is a celebration of the flavors of Oaxaca, Mexico using dried Mexican chilies, cocoa nibs and spices, sweetened with raisins and aged with cocoa husks. The Oaxacan is best mixed with Mezcal, a distilled alcoholic spirit made from the maguey plant. Mezcal, the source of inspiration for the product, is produced in Oaxaca, Mexico, a Pacific-coast state in southern Mexico, as well as in other regions of Mexico.

The No. 6 is the third Old Fashioned-style product in the line. The bittering agents are cinchona bark and cocoa nibs, the latter of which is another important ingredient in Oaxacan cuisine. Mezcal, with its strong smoky flavor, is all that is needed to create a warmly spiced drink great for the crisp days of fall.

Bittermilk No. 6 Oaxacan Old Fashioned will be available via their website and in a variety of the retailers across the country already selling the product lines. To learn more about Bittermilk, visit http://bittermilk.com/ or follow on Twitter @DrinkBittermilk.

Langley's No. 8 Gin Imported to the USA

Made with 100 percent English grain spirit, Langley’s No. 8 is distilled in a small, English-made, 53-year-old copper pot still named Constance, and nicknamed “Connie,” in honor of the Master Distiller’s late mother. The brand name was inspired by the eighth of 12 gin blends tasted by its crafters.

Langley’s No. 8 is made with a blend of eight botanicals, including juniper berries from Macedonia, coriander seeds from Bulgaria, sweet orange peel and sweet lemon peel from Spain, cassia bark from Indonesia, and ground nutmeg from Sri Lanka. The final two ingredients are a secret.

Langley's No. 8 Gin is imported from England by the Artisan Spirits division of Terlato Wines. It is bottles at 41.7% ABV and sold at a suggested retail price of $42.